


a prized collection

by obscurityofphylum



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obscurityofphylum/pseuds/obscurityofphylum
Summary: what if instead of gathering them up when they were born, reginald had individually adopted them from orphanages?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 77





	a prized collection

luther was first. 

in northern seattle, reginald walked up the steps of st. paul's children's home, admiring marble fountains and beautiful gardens. the children were playing with crayons at tables, and a gaggle of toddlers sat, listening as a woman read a story from a picture book.

the woman at the front desk was warm and smiling as she brought out a little boy. he was dressed well, with uniform shorts and a button up short sleeve shirt. his hair was dirty blond and combed back, and he had blue eyes that seemed to trust immediately when they landed on reginald.

"hello, luther. how would you like to come live with me? you'd have a mother and a butler, and i hear that you can do special things?" reginald asked, adjusting his monocle.

"mrs. adams says i'm really strong. i can pick up my desk and my bed!" luther said, his voice high and excited. 

"i imagine. would you like to come live with me?" reginald asked again.

"yes please!" luther said, kicking his legs under the table. suddenly, there was a commotion from the toddler corner. a pig-tailed girl was climbing the bookshelf, which wobbled unfaithfully.

luther hopped up, running towards the book corner before anyone could stop him. he held up the towering bookshelf with surprising strength for a seven year old, directing the girl to go back to the aides. he pushed the bookshelf back in its place before returning to reginald. 

reginald tried to mask his shock and awe, and twenty minutes later he was leaving the orphanage with a blond little boy in tow.

it wasn't until luther came home with them that reginald learned what happened to his parents.

luther's parents were engineers for nasa. they had information someone else didn't. and when that someone didn't take no for an answer, his parents each took a bullet to the head in their own kitchen.

luther had only been a year old. he was found in his crib three days later when his parents didn't show up for work. 

he adapted well to living with reginald; he trained without disobedience, he hadn't needed to learn any manners, and soon become a favorite of reginald's, even if the man wouldn't openly admit it. soon, he became number one.

diego was next.

as reginald walked the dirt path to the orphanage, the sun beat down on his back with a vicious glare. a few younger boys were kicking around a soccer ball in the street, barefoot and laughing. they were caked in dust from head to toe.

when he walked in, there was no front office. just rows and rows of mattresses on the floor, covered mismatching blankets, some missing pillows. an aide was futilely trying to hush wailing infants who sat in makeshift cots of pillows and cardboard.

"may i see diego? i believe his number is 287." he asked a woman who had a toddler balanced on her hip. she shook her head, gesturing for a teenage girl to join them. 

"no english. i'll translate." the girl said. reginald repeated himself. the woman nodded, leading him outside to the group of boys playing soccer. she shouted something, and one of them came trotting towards reginald.

he was olive-skinned, with dark black hair and even darker eyes. a white scar ran from the top of his right ear to the side of his cheek. he was dirty, covered in dirt and dust and not wearing shoes, but he looked happy. he had a giant smile on his face as he looked up at reginald.

"hello, diego. i want to see you throw this." reginald said, allowing the girl to translate. he handed the boy a stick. 

"b-b-bue-" diego gave up on trying to utter out an 'okay', cheeks going red from embarrassment at his speech. instead, he just nodded, taking a deep breath. 

he threw it overhand, and it almost seemed to curve in the air. it landed straight into the soccer ball, deflating it from the spiked-accuracy. 

"witchcraft..." the translator girl muttered, but reginald wasn't listening.

"what happened to his family?" reginald asked, his eyes never leaving the boy.

"too poor. had to give him up, too many mouths to feed. him and his mom were really close though, he was a pain for the first couple months. crying everyday. he's a little bit better now." she said, her voice betraying irritation.

"i'll take him." reginald said shortly. 

two weeks later, a dark-haired boy was racing around his dining room, following the robotic mother he had built for them like a duckling. diego soon became number two. 

allison was third.

in a small nunnery in bordeaux, just outside of paris, reginald observed as a little girl had a tea party with a few stuffed toys carefully propped on pillows and chairs in front of her. she didn't seem to notice the new visitor, or didn't care.

"she's a strange one. spreads lies and makes people do whatever she wants." a nun said, disgust portrayed in her thick french accent. the girl was dressed in a sweater and a pleated skirt, with buckle shoes and bows in her hair.

the girl had a dark complexion, with long, curly hair that cascaded down her back like a lion's mane. he could barely hear her, but she was talking to her toys as she raised each empty cup and helped the plush animals slurp down imaginary tea. 

he had seen her profile before he came. her parents were crime bosses in paris, who had gotten caught and sentenced when she was only three years old. they had tried to lie their way out of the conviction, but the evidence stood against them like a brick wall.

"allison. someone would like to see you." the nun said softly, almost nervous.

"i'm busy." the child replied, not looking up from her teacup, where she was serving a fake slice of cake to a bear in a tutu. 

"allison, that is no way to treat guests. you can play later, but this nice man wants to speak to you-" the nun was cut off.

"i heard a rumor that you left me alone." allison pouted. the nun's eyes seemed to lighten to a periwinkle blue before returning to a normal hue, and the woman walked away diligently. 

"fascinating.." reginald muttered under his breath.

"how would you like to live with me?" 

as pogo carried the girl's luggage through the foyer of the academy, allison giggled and twirled in the grand hall. she could get used to this. and she did, making her number three. 

klaus was fourth.

somewhere in eastern berlin, reginald tried his best to ignore beggars as he ascended up the steps of the orphanage that looked bleak in comparison to the rest of berlin. it was stone grey with statues of angels guarding the front, and inside wasn't much better.

the children were hollow-eyed and thin, being chased around by wary aides. the woman at the front looked a little shocked when he asked to see the boy, but begrudgingly led him down the bleak hall. reginald heard the screaming before he even turned the corner. 

"no! don't touch!" a child's voice wailed, and reginald identified the source: a small boy was curled up in the corner with his knees to his chest, freckled cheeks reddened with tears.

"klaus, i'm just trying to brush your hair, it's knotted. i'm not going to hurt you." the aide sighed exasperatedly, sitting on the floor a little ways away from the boy.

"they say you're going to hurt me!" klaus yelled, his eyes focused on thin air. 

"klaus, nobody's there. you're imagining things again." the woman muttered, pulling the boy out of the corner and beginning to brush his hair. he wailed, kicking and biting.

"maria, it's not worth it. just let him go." the front desk woman sighed, and the aide let the boy go. he scrambled back to his corner.

"his parents were drug addicts, we found him after they overdosed in an alleyway. he was four, still remembers some of it. we think they hurt him somehow, would explain all the bruises he had on him." she paused.

"we think he's schizophrenic. he's some kind of crazy, that's for sure. sees things that aren't there, tells aides weirdly specific details about their relatives, refuses to eat or sleep. he's a strange one." the woman whispered. "i understand if you wouldn't like to see him anymore, sir-" 

"nonsense." reginald said, cleaning his monocle with the hem of his jacket. he adjusted it back on his eye and gazed intently on the boy. klaus had returned to the corner, a little more relaxed as he spoke to the air in a hushed voice.

klaus was small for his age, with light brown curly hair and red cheeks. his eyes were a hazel color, and all he was wearing was a sweater and uniform shorts despite the october chill outside. 

"who are you speaking to?" reginald asked, kneeling in front of him. 

"she came in when you came in. her name's amelia." klaus said nonchalantly. reginald froze at his mother's name, staring at the boy with wonder. 

"tell me something about her." reginald queried.

"she says she had a cat named socks once, and he was black and white." klaus said. reginald nearly smiled at the memory of his childhood pet, the petite feline who would sleep at the foot of his bed, purring.

"klaus, would you like to come home with me?" reginald asked. the boy nodded, but still flinched hard when reginald reached out his hand. 

klaus adjusted well to living in the academy. he seemed to become fast friends with number two, and klaus soon became known mischievous little creature of the home. he prided himself in being number four.

five was fifth, no surprise.

the orphanage in massachusetts wasn't anything special, just sophisticated dark wood bookshelves and well-groomed children who ran around wildly, giggling as they threw foam balls at each other.

they had named him alexander, he had just came about four months ago. when reginald entered his bedroom, he was writing something mathematic on the wall with a marker. 

"hello, alexander." reginald said. the boy didn't acknowledge him, still doodling equations on the grey wall. finally, he sighed and put the marker down.

"you want to see my ability, don't you?" he asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice. he looked over his shoulder at reginald.

"yes, please." reginald confirmed, shifting and placing his hand on his cane. electricity crackled for a moment as the atmosphere turned blue and buzzed like a hornet's nest, only to fade as alexander reappeared only seconds later on the other side of the room. 

"truly extraordinary." reginald exclaimed.

as he filled out papers in the adoptions office, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the child to make him so cynical and cunning so young. the boy reminded him of a fox, with watchful eyes and a cold exterior.

"what happened to him? why's he here?" reginald asked, scribbling his signature onto each form. the woman took a deep breath.

"his parents were murdered a year ago. drunk driver hit them head on at eighty-miles an hour during a rainstorm. unfortunately, he remembers it all." the woman said, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"poor child has nightmares most nights. he's not very friendly anymore." she continued, typing things into her computer as reginald filled out the last of the forms.

"i'll go with you on one condition." alexander appeared around the corner. he didn't wait for reginald's answer.

"if i live with you, you'll change my name. i want to leave everything behind, even myself." alexander said with a chill that seemed unnatural on a seven year old boy. reginald agreed.

as they walked out, reginald noticed the boy wince at the sight of a car. 

alexander became number five at the academy, his only title. the others didn't find this anything odd, as most of their lives had been nothing but odd and this was no exception. as his teleportation grew stronger and more controllable, number five proved to be a great addition to the team.

ben was sixth, second to last.

in south korea, tucked into a little, sleepy city, the orphanage was warm and inviting. colorful drawings lined the walls, and buckets of well-organized toys were stored away in shelves.

reginald followed a man down the hall and peered into a room as he walked by. it was a playroom type setting, with a group of children who were making fake cities out of blocks and figurines.

finally they stopped at a strangely misplaced metal door that didn't fit in with the surroundings. the man tentatively opened it, cracking it open just slightly to check on the child before allowing reginald to come in. 

reginald didn't spot the child at first until the man pointed to a corner, where a boy was curled up in the windowsill, a book on his lap that he studied intently, his lips moving silently as he read each word.

"benjamin?" the man asked, and the boy's head snapped up. he was wearing circular glasses that made him look a little older than he was, with a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. his hair was jet-black and combed. he set his book aside, sliding off the windowsill. 

reginald tried to walk closer to the boy, but ben backed away, fright etching into his expression.

"six feet away. i don't want to hurt you, please.." ben sniffled in a mixture of korean and broken english, and reginald furrowed his brow.

"he has a monster inside of him. he has to stay in here, so he doesn't hurt anyone." the man explained, sparing glances at the boy who stood with his back against the windowsill. 

"lift your shirt." the man instructed ben, who obeyed. bandages were woven tightly around his stomach, almost tight enough to be constricting. when he saw reginald's look of disbelief, ben tried to downplay it.

"it's to help the monster stay in." he mumbled, pulling his shirt back down and looking at the ground. 

"needn't fear, boy. i would like to help you." reginald said in the best korean he knew, trying to remember what he had studied before embarking to get ben. ben's eyes lit up a little bit.

"will you make me not afraid? make the monster friendly?" ben asked hopefully, his voice cracking at the last syllable with desperation. 

"i will." reginald promised, and without regard for the rules, ben threw himself around the man, hugging him tightly despite only being tall enough to reach his waist. reginald stiffened, but allowed it. 

ben soon became number six; the lovable, tag-along sibling with his nose always buried in a book; and if he wasn't reading, he was chasing number four and trying to persuade him out of his usual mischief. 

reginald never learned what happened to ben's family, because every time he asked ben would get so nervous and pale he looked as if he were going to pass out. 

vanya was last.

krasnoyarsk was tucked into the countryside of russia. the orphanage itself was not bad looking, messy flowerbeds tangled with vines that seemed almost poetic if you appreciated nature.

reginald didn't.

when he stepped in the mahogany doors, he was greeted by a woman who spoke with a thick russian accent and barely suppressed her scowl when reginald told her who he wanted to visit.

they walked through an open, circular room with doors that looked like prison pods, spare the few crayons that were strewn across a small arts and crafts table.

the woman threw open a door to reveal a room that was empty at first impression, but as he looked closer he picked up on little details.

a worn mattress was in the corner, bare of sheets or blankets. across from it, an empty bowl of what he was guessing used to be soup. there was no spoon. 

he glanced around the corner, his eyes finally settling on the prized thing he'd been searching for. the last trinket to finish his collection.

it was hard to call the disheveled little girl prized. she was petite, with long, dark brown hair that hung just slightly above her eyes in the front. 

she stared up at him timidly from where she sat on the floor of her prison. the woman barked something at her in russian and she immediately snapped to her feet, folding her hands in front of her. a forced smile spread across her miserable face.

the woman yelled at her again, taking a little bell from the pocket of her smock and holding it in front of the girl's face. she rung it, then showed her a piece of glass about the size of her thumb.

the girl closed her eyes, feeling the bell ring and vibrate in every crevice of her chest. her eyes flew open, and instead of the piece breaking, the glass inside of reginald’s monocle shattered with a great crack, splintering up the middle like the roots of a tree. 

the girl settled in well. her name was vanya at the orphanage, and reginald decided it was suitable enough to keep. but, her powers weren’t. she was too strong for him to control, like a lion on a chain leash. 

so, she sunk to her position as number seven, and each morning, she’d obediently swallow a white pill taken from the palm of the revolving door of nannies.


End file.
